The present invention relates to wet shaving systems of the blade type and more particularly to a shaving system having one or more movable blades positioned within a blade cartridge.
Shavers have long sought a wet shaving system that provides a smooth and comfortable shave without causing annoying cuts and abrasions on the skin of the shaver. With the development of shaving, came the development of lubricating agents to reduce irritation to the skin of the shaver. Typically shavers use some type of lubricating agent on the surface of their skin, such as shaving cream or gel containing emollients, moisturizers, surfactants, wetting agents, thickeners, and film formers, to provide a comfortable shave and reduce the amount of irritation to the skin caused by the razor blade cartridge being repeatedly pulled across the skin of the shaver. However, because conventional razor blade cartridges include blades that strip the lubricating agent from the skin as they are pulled across the skin of the shaver, lubricating agents are only effective on the initial pass of the razor.
Conventional razor blade cartridges remove the lubricating agent from the skin without providing a means for replenishing the agent, and thereby leave the skin dry and vulnerable to irritation from successive passes of the skin engaging edges or surfaces of the blade cartridge. With the development of multi-blade razors, the problem of stripping of lubricants from the skin of the shaver significantly affects shave comfort and promotes higher levels of irritation of the skin. Conventional triple blade cartridges include three blades that individually and successively strip the lubricating agents from the skin of the shaver without providing a means for replenishing the agents. Even on the initial pass of a conventional triple blade razor, the first blade strips the agents and leaves dry skin that is vulnerable to irritation by the cutting edges of both the second and the third blades, and from the skin contacting surfaces of the cap member.
Recently, blade cartridges have been constructed to include lubricating strips mounted on the skin contacting portions of the cap member. Many of these lubricating strips are constructed such that water facilitates the release of the lubricating substance on the lubricating strip. Therefore, the release of the lubricating substance is inhibited by the removal of water from the skin of the shaver by conventional razor blades. The development of a shaving cartridge that includes a means for replenishing moisture to the skin of the shaver after the blade has passed over the skin would enhance the performance of many such lubricating strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,907, issued on Sep. 2, 1997, to Domenic Apprille, Jr. describes a razor blade assembly including three blades mounted within a housing. The patent to Apprille describes a three blade arrangement where blade 18 will strip a large portion of lubricating agents from the skin of the shaver, leaving each successive blade 20 and 22 and the skin contacting surfaces of the cap member 16 to engage dry skin and thereby cause irritation. The patent to Apprille fails to describe a means for supplying lubrication to the successive blades and the skin engaging surfaces of the cap member. Instead, the invention described in the patent to Apprille channels the lubricating agents between the blades and channels them out the rear of the cartridge. A similar situation arises for the invention disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,729, issued on Sep. 16, 1997, to Frank A. Ferraro. The patent to Ferraro describes a shaving system having a first support, at least one resilient support and a plurality of blades arranged in a spaced relationship and supported by the resilient support.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,571, issued on Aug. 30, 1994, to Frank H. Prochaska describes a blade cartridge including a platform member 2, a first blade 32, a spacer 6, a second blade 34, and a cap member 8. The first blade 32 and second blade 34 are described as including holes 42 that provide a passage to facilitate the removal of shaving debris. As depicted in FIGS. 1 and 7, the cap member 8 of the Prochaska patent includes a lower surface 72 that extends towards the edge of blade 34 to form a cavity 76. The cap member 8 further includes a plurality of downwardly extending pads on the forward portion of the cap member 8. The Prochaska patent does not describe an effective means for supplying lubrication agents to the skin engaging surface of the cap member. The portion of the cap member 8 that extends to the edge of blade 34 prevents the free flow of lubricants through holes 42 in blade 34 to the skin engaging surface of the cap member 8. Therefore, the lubricant will take the path of least resistance and exit the blade cartridge through slot 26.
Consequently, a need exists for a blade cartridge incorporating an effective means for supplying lubrication agents to the skin engaging surfaces of all blade edges and the cap member. Such a blade cartridge will not only reduce irritation of the skin of the shaver from contact with skin engaging surfaces of the cartridge, but will enhance the performance of lubricating strips positioned on the cap member resulting in a high level of comfort and a close long lasting shave.
The present invention provides a novel blade cartridge designed to satisfy the aforementioned needs. The invention embodies one or more blades fixed between a platform member and a cap member. The blades have apertures that allow lubricants removed from a surface being shaved by the cutting edge of the blade to be transported through the blade and supplied to the cutting edge of the adjacent blade or to a skin engaging surface of the cap member, whichever the case may be. The apertures in the blades define flow paths that allow lubricants to reach successive cutting edges or skin engaging surfaces, thereby reducing irritation to the shaver caused by each individual blade and skin contacting surface. The present invention includes a cap member having a passage that allows the free flow of lubricating agents through the flow paths and to the skin engaging surface of the cap member. This arrangement is especially significant for razor blade cartridges having three blades, where, in conventional razor blade cartridges, the third blade and cap member are likely to encounter dry skin even during the initial pass of the cartridge over the skin.
Each blade of the present invention has a fixed end and a free, or cantilevered, end. The free end of each blade functions as a single cantilever forming a xe2x80x9cflexing zonexe2x80x9d about which the cutting edge of the blade bends in response to an applied force. Each blade is flexible about the longitudinal axis of the blade. Thus, the present invention provides for individually movable blades without requiring an elaborate molding procedure to create movable spring fingers or movable blade platforms.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to a blade cartridge including a platform member having a blade seat and a guard member. The guard member is located forward of and parallel to the blade seat so as to form a longitudinal slot between the blade seat and the guard member. The blade cartridge also includes a primary blade that is disposed on the blade seat such that the cutting edge of the blade is located rearwardly of the guard member. The primary blade includes a forward section having an aperture array defining a flow path. A substantial portion of the primary blade extends into the slot formed between the guard member and the blade seat such that the blade is flexible about the longitudinal axis of the blade into the slot. Preferably, the cutting edge of the primary blade is parallel to the guard member.
The blade cartridge also includes a spacer that is located on the upper surface of the primary blade. The spacer includes a rear portion that functions to separate the primary blade and a secondary blade. The spacer also includes a forward portion that extends from the rear portion and has channeling that functions to allow lubricant to flow through the adjacent flow paths.
The blade cartridge further includes a secondary blade that is disposed on the spacer such that the cutting edge of the blade is located rearwardly of the cutting edge of the primary blade. The secondary blade includes a forward section having an aperture array defining a flow path. A substantial portion of the secondary blade extends into the open area formed by the spacer above the primary blade such that the blade is flexible about the longitudinal axis of the blade into the open area. Preferably, the cutting edge of the secondary blade is parallel to the cutting edge of the primary blade.
The blade cartridge also includes a spacer that is located on the upper surface of the secondary blade. The spacer includes a rear portion that functions to separate the secondary blade and a tertiary blade. The spacer also includes a forward portion that extends from the rear portion and has channeling that functions to allow lubricant to flow through the adjacent flow paths.
The blade cartridge further includes a tertiary blade that is disposed on the spacer such that the cutting edge of the blade is located rearwardly of the cutting edge of the secondary blade. The tertiary blade includes a forward section having an aperture array defining a flow path. A portion of the tertiary blade extends into the open area formed by the spacer above the secondary blade such that the blade is flexible about the longitudinal axis of the blade into the open area. Preferably, the cutting edge of the tertiary blade is parallel to the cutting edge of the secondary blade.
The blade cartridge also includes a cap member disposed on the tertiary blade. As mentioned above, the cap member includes channeling that allows the free flow of lubricating agents through the flow paths and to the skin engaging surface of the cap member. The cap member secures the members forming the blade cartridge together. The blade cartridge further includes a lubrication strip integral with the cap member.
As described hereinafter, each blade is independently movable in response to shaving forces applied to the blade. Specifically, each blade is flexible about the longitudinal axis of the blade within a flexing zone defined by the ratio between the portion of the blade overlying a physical structure and the portion of the blade overlying the opening formed beneath the forward portion of each blade, in combination with the physical characteristics of the blade. If a force exceeding the resilient force of the blade is exerted on the blade, the blade flexes about the longitudinal axis so as to bend in the downward direction against the resilient force of the blade. The bending movement of the blade results in the simultaneously decrease of blade exposure and shaving angle.
Preferably, the blade cartridge is connected to a handle, and can be pivotally connected so as to allow the blade cartridge to further respond to shaving forces encountered during the shaving process and orient itself optimally to the surface being shaved.